World Cruise CEO Addresses Delays, Announces New Launch Date [VIDEO]

Villa Vie Residences’ 1,300-day cruise has now been delayed for the fourth time.

Despite spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, future cruisers are growing weary of waiting for the Villa Vie Odyssey world cruise ship to sail, with many stranded in Belfast with all their belongings, only to be disappointed again.

Company CEO Mikael Petterson addressed the postponement in a new video that was shared across the cruise line’s social media accounts and announced the new sailing date, which has been rescheduled to July 20, 2024.

According to the executive, the most recent cancellation is due to Villa Vie Odyssey’s rudder stocks. “A couple of weeks ago, we got word on our rudder stocks,” he said wearily. “The rudder stocks are the original rudder stocks from 30 years ago. They come 300 millimeters thick. They can’t be thinner than 295 millimeters. They were measured at 283, so significantly lower than what’s acceptable. We tried to argue with them but there was no chance. We had to replace them.” “But it’s really the only thing that’s holding us back at this point,” Petterson remarked.

Rudder stocks are a major part of a vessel’s steering system. They connect the helm’s steering to the rudder, enabling the ship to change direction. Villa Vie Residences resolved the issue by replacing the rudder stocks with parts machined and shipped from Denmark.

Ongoing Improvements and Refurbishments

While the critical part is being replaced, Petterson said the cruise line is also improving Odyssey’s interiors and technical components. “We cleaned up and refurbished several areas of the ship. The biggest change really is the business center that we built with offices and workspaces. The pool deck has been completely ripped down to nothing and we built it back up,” he said, enumerating some of the changes.

Will the new launch date push through?

The Continuous World Cruise aboard the ship formerly Braemar was originally supposed to sail from Southampton, UK, on May 15. Due to an extended dry dock, the sailing date was moved to May 30, and its home port was changed to Belfast, Ireland. 

Issues with the wastewater tanks later emerged, prompting the cruise line to reschedule embarkation to June 4. Steering issues were then announced, pushing the launch date to June 21. 

Petterson assured passengers that Odyssey will be floated out between July 10 and July 12, giving the company extra time should any unforeseen events arise. “The 20th of July is our very, very last date we need to be ready to take residents on board for our launch date.” he said.

When it finally sets sail, the Odyssey will take passengers to 425 ports and 147 countries for 3.5 years, concluding in 2027. Guests paid up to $500,000 for a room on this vessel, with many others buying segments.

Mikael Petterson was the managing director of Life at Sea Cruises, another residential cruise line offering 3-year voyages. After multiple delays, Life at Sea canceled the sailing, leaving many of its booked passengers cash-strapped and homeless.

Video of Villa Vie Residences CEO